Self-fastening postal card.



A. B. MAGOUN.

PATENTE D MAY 14, 1907.

SELF FASTENING POSTAL CARD.

I APPLIQATION FILED AUG.10, 1906.

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wzm asses Inventor UNITED STATES] PATENT OFFICE;

" ABNER MAGOUN, BRANT ROCK, MASSACHUSETTS SELF-FASTENING POSTAL CARD.

To all whom it may concern.- 4

Be it known that I, ABNER B. MAGoUN,'a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Brant Rock, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Self-Fastening Postal Cards, of which the following is a I specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a correspondence or postal card which can be so folded as to conceal and protect the written matter thereon and also fastened so that it will not unfold.

The object of the invention is further to the same folded. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a postal card constructed in accordance with myinvention with three folds. Flg. 4 1s a modified form of my invention in which two tongues are employed instead of one as in the forms illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

- Like numerals refer tolike parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

.4 l slit 12'formed in the In the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, 5 is a sheet of paper or card-board folded transversely thereof along the lines-6 and 7 to form a front 9,. a back 8, and a flap 10. The flap 10 has a tongue 11 whichprojects from one end of the sheet 5 and is adapted,.when the sheet is folded as illustrated in Fi 2, to project into a back 8 and thus lock said back and flap against unfolding. The

side 13 of the tongue 11 extends at an angle from the body ortion of the flap toward the side 14 of the s eet 5 adjacent thereto,,whi1e the side 15 of said tongue referably extends at an angle away from te side 16 of said il I 4 d 51 d 't' usln m 1 rove posa car wrl mg may be p lac d iijipn the inner face of the back 8 and ofathe front 9. The back 8 IS then folded over against the front 9 and the ton e 11 slipped throu h the slit 12 insaid back: thus folding an locking the same against unfastening. A- stamp 17 may be Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Augiist 10, 1906. Serial No. 329,992.

Patented May 14,1907.

laced upon the back after the card has been olded, as illustrated in Fig. 2, thus sealing the flap to the back, or the stamp may be printed uponthe front 9'as in 'the ordinary postal card.

It Wlll be seen that my improved postal card is particularly adapted for souvemr postal cards in which the picture can be printed upon the inner face of the front 9 and the writing on the inner face of the back 8 and then when the postal is folded the writing and the picture will be protected from injury in the mails. I

Fig. 3 illustrates a postal card like that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, except that an intermediate part 18, folded along the line 19, is added thereto. In all other respects this form of my invention is the same as that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and. in folding, the intermediate sheet 18 is first folded in against the back 8 and :then said back and intermediate sheet are folded against. the inner face of the front 9, the tongue 11 being then inserted-in the'slit 12, as in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and In Fig. 4 another modified form of my in vention is illustrated in which 5 is a sheet of paper creased to fold along-the lines 6 and 7 having a front 9, a back 8, and a flap 10.

This particular form of my invention has a flap provided with two'tongues 11 and 11 the tongue 11 being adapted toenter a slit 4 12and the ton ue 11 toenter-a slit 12 in T e sides 13 and 15 of the the back 8. tongue 11 extend at an anglettoward the side.14 of said sheet adjacent thereto and the sides 13 .and 15 of the tongue 11 converge toward each other, the object of this construction being toallow the'tongue 11 to be withdrawn first in unfolding the card, thus right hand sideto, a slight extent and the tpngue 11 to be thus withdrawn from the S if) 12'. J I

It will be seen that in addition to writing;

front face thereof and also the address of the party to whom it is sent written thereon, or the address may be written upon the front of said postal card, writing placed (upon the allowing the flap to be bent upwardly at the outside of the back'as well as the inside thereof, and stamp 17 used to seal the card and prevent its unfolding.

It will be noticed that the slit 12 is inadein the back 8 at one side of the longitudinal median plane thereof, so that when the card is folded as illustrated in Fig. 2 the tongue enters the slit 12 above the longitudinal median plane of said card and this location of the slit 12 is very important in the device of my invention, for the reason that when located substantially as shown, if the card is bent longitudinally thereof, either toward the back ortoward the front, the flap will not slip out of the slit, experiment having shown that if the slit 12 is placed lower than shown in Fig. 2 or nearer the center of the flap the tongue'will slip out of the slit 12 much more readily when the card is bent than when said slit is located as shown. f

If desired, adhesive material may be I placed upon the tongue 11 upon the outer face thereoftha"t is, upon the opposite face of said tongue "to that which is seen in Fig. 1, and when the postal card is folded as in Fi 2 the adhesive material may be moistened, prior to slipping the tongue through the slit 12, and subsequently the tongue with its adhesive material thereon, maybe pressed against the inner face of the back 8, thus sealing the card and preventing the tongue from To open the card under these conditions it will be necessary "0 cut the tongue 11 away from the sap 10.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is: a a

' 1. A postal card comprising a sheet of paper folded to form a front, a back having aslit therein, and a flap, said flap having a tongue extending lon itudinally from and beyond one end of said sheet, one side of said tongue extending at an angle toward the side of said sheet adjacent there to and parallel H) the opposite side of said tongue, whereby said tongue is adapted .to project into said slit and lock said card against unfolding.

2. A postal card comprising a sheet of paper folded to form a front, a back having a slit therein, and a flap, said [lap having a tongue extending longitudinally from one end of said sheet, one side of said tongue extending at an angle toward the side of said sheet adjacent thereto, the opposite side of said tongue extending at an angle away from the side of said sheet adjacent tllGlOtO, said sides of said tongue substantially parallel to each other, whereby said ton ue is adapted to project into said slit and lock said card against unfolding.

3. A postal card comprising a sheet of paper folded to form a front, aback having slits therein, and a flap, said flap having a plurality of tongues extending longitudinally from one end of said sheet and adapted to project into said slits and locksaid card against unfolding, one side of one of said tongues extending at anangle toward lll( side of said sheet adjacent thereto, the opposite sides of said tongue being substaniially parallel to each other, the opposite sides of the other of said tongues converging toward each other.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ABNER MAGOUN.

Witnesses CHARLES S. Goonine, ANNIE J. DAILEY. 

